


Marble Forest

by Boozombie



Series: Rays Of Sunshine [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Complete, Dubious Consent, M/M, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Sex, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:20:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26022583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boozombie/pseuds/Boozombie
Summary: Part of the Revolutionary World Organization a non profit group helping third world countries, Sabo shouldn't have had to worry about running into any trouble with other groups. Then why is it that these damn government mercenaries keep following him around? And why the hell does Rob Lucci keep cornering him like this?!
Relationships: Rob Lucci/Sabo
Series: Rays Of Sunshine [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1888774
Comments: 60
Kudos: 129





	1. The Hunt Begins

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ainasaurus_rex](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ainasaurus_rex/gifts).



> Everyone must be wondering what Sabo is doing while Luffy is being harassed by Law! Here it is!

Sabo let out a satisfied breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead as he finally finished carrying in the water barrels from the trucks to the center of the village. It had almost been three years since he’d joined the Revolutionary World Organization, a non profit group dedicated to helping third world countries and putting an end to suffering. 

His parents would have called him a fool but Sabo didn’t care, he was helping people and that’s all that mattered to him. 

He did miss his brothers, of course but they both understood that this was important work! Plus it was Sabo’s passion, helping the people in the world that couldn’t help themselves. 

Nobility never fit him anyway, this was much more satisfying than a life of luxury. 

Sabo grinned as a few of the village children played, running through the streets with happy giggles. He’d been sent to this village about four months ago with a small team to bring fresh water. The only well had been polluted by the nearby Government and they were in desperate need. It had taken a very long time for the villagers to trust him enough to be this carefree. 

The amount of work that he put into getting this village to trust him and his team was the reason why Sabo soured instantly when black cars roared up the dusty desert road. 

Sabo straightened up and glared at the incoming cars, knowing exactly who it was. 

Rob Lucci and his stalking gang of government mercenaries. They followed him everywhere! It started just two years ago, the man’s unit was hired to protect the slave trading ring of a certain governor of a small territory in the jungles. Sabo had been there to build a school and the two had clashed when Sabo protected some villagers from the slavers. 

Sabo couldn't stand the no moral compass, black hearted, son of a bitch. 

The children looked up at him with fearful eyes and Sabo jerked his head to indicate that they should head inside. These men didn’t mess around, they wouldn’t blink when kicking a kitten, much less a child. 

With a watchful eye Sabo frowned at the man stepping out from the passenger side door of the large black Jeep. He was tall, imposing, and a face as blank and emotionless as his soul. 

“Rob Lucci, why am I not surprised you followed me around the world.” Sabo grabbed a lead pipe and nonchalantly used it to lean against as he watched the group like a hawk. It was all the usual suspects. 

In the first car with Lucci included: Kalifa in an outfit that didn’t fit the desert around them, Kaku and his weirdly square and long nose, and Jabra, who was still wearing that damn endangered Red Wolf pelt! 

In the second car stepped out: Fukuro, Blueno, and Kumadori. Sabo had only had the displeasure of meeting the man ‘in charge’ of their unit once and he’d happily never have to talk to Spandam ever again. The man made Sabo’s lip curl in disgust just thinking of him. 

_“Again,”_ Sabo finished with a fierce look. When were these people going to stop showing up where he was?!

Rob Lucci turned his cold eyes to Sabo and he could swear he saw cruel amusement in those stale brown orbs. 

“We have a job here just like you, don’t be full of yourself, Little Gentleman.” Rob Lucci folded his arms in a self assured kind of way. 

“Well Pigeon, why don’t you shove along and do that job? This village is under my protection and I won’t have threats like _you_ here,” Sabo let his voice dip into a dark snarl. 

Jabra muttered angrily, looking ready to attack, but instead Kalifa stepped up as she adjusted her glasses. 

“We cannot ‘shove along’, the Regent of this area has hired us to look into a possible uprising. We are under the authority of him to search every village in this province,” She spoke with cold efficiency, uncaring of the fightented people they were speaking of raiding. And it was a raid, Sabo had seen how they operated. Seen them drag people out of their homes by their hair to complete their ‘duty’. 

Sabo narrowed his eyes but knew he couldn’t turn them away because then the RWO wouldn’t be allowed back into the country. Even if his time in the village was coming to an end Sabo didn’t want to be banned from returning! 

“Fine, but first you will let me explain this calmly to the village so they can understand and not panic, and if you harm even one of these good people I will not hesitate to defend them!” Sabo bit out bitterly. 

A few of the hired mercenaries looked to Lucci and he gave an uncaring shrug. The little blonde was only making their job easier by calming the savages before they started the search, so why not? 

Sabo turned and marched through the small village, cupping his hands around his mouth to call, “MEETING! VILLAGE MEETING!” 

Slowly the adults opened their doors and began to filter out of the homes. In their native tongue he began directing them to grab their children and make themselves comfortable in the village center. He explained to them all what the situation was and to not try and argue with these people. He made sure to assure them that he and his team were going to make sure no one harmed them or their village. 

“Sabo, you sure about this?” The only one of his team that had met the mercenaries before asked as the team began following his lead to keep the people calm. 

“You know we don’t have much of a choice,” Sabo sighed back to the man. 

“Whatever you think is best, I know the boss wouldn’t care if we ran them off,” he responded. 

“And what about after we leave, huh?” Sabo gave him a very serious look. There was talk of him running his own team soon. He needed to learn that his actions wouldn’t come back on them but would come back on the villages they were here to serve. “We wouldn’t be the ones facing the consequences of that decision.”

The man seemed ashamed for even suggesting fighting them off now and backed away. 

Sabo directed his small team to watch over the villagers while he made sure Rob Lucci and his cronies didn’t destroy these good peoples' homes just because they could. 

“Hurry this up, and be careful with these peoples’ homes,” Sabo shot a glare at the patiently waiting mercenaries. 

“You’d think we could come to an understanding considering how often we run into each other,” Kaku said with a good natured tone as he stepped forward at Sabo’s urging. Kaku always seemed the most human out of the group but was really just as evil as the rest. 

“Sorry but I don’t give niceties to men that shoot for the guy with the biggest check,” Sabo sneered with a perfectly pleasant smile. 

Jabra snarled back at him but didn’t do anything more. Sabo had already beat him into the ground before and they both knew Sabo could do it again. 

“At least we aren’t caked in dust and grime like an indecent savage,” Rob Lucci tipped his head to smirk at Sabo, his eyes pointedly looking at Sabo’s dirty cheeks. 

Sabo shot him a dark look but didn’t say anything further. It was a waste of breath anyway. 

Soon the CP9 mercenaries split up to all begin checking homes. Kalifa marked off things on her clipboard as they went from home to home in groups of two. 

Sabo kept a stern eye on them all, making sure no alters or prized possessions were taken or destroyed. As soon as they were done with the homes they began doing personal searches, needing the villagers to strip down so they could check bodies and clothes for illegal items. 

Sabo was quick to have three tents set up so families could have privacy during this and limit the humiliation. He stayed with Rob Lucci and Kaku in the first tent while he sent his two best men to watch over the other two tents. 

A few hours went by calming the scared villagers before finally CP9 was finished and hadn’t found one illegal item. 

“Satisfied?” Sabo sat up from where he’d ended up resting during the tense few hours. 

“Not quite, now for your team,” Lucci stated matter of factly. 

Sabo laughed, surprised that the stone faced man knew how to joke. They were a peaceful organization, they wouldn’t bring weapons or instigate a revolt! “Oh wow, I had no idea you had a sense of humor!” 

Lucci only gave Sabo a blank look and slowly he realized the man was completely serious. He wanted to strip search the entire team!

Sabo growled at him, his blue eyes stormy and upset but he knew that he really had no right to refuse. 

“Fine, I’m guessing you’ll need to search our tents as well? Let me just go warn my team and then we can get this over with.” Sabo stood up and headed for the tent flaps bitterly. This was humiliating but if it got this group to leave then fine! 

Sabo explained to the team, expecting their offended backlash on his decision to allow this and calmed them. “The sooner this is over with, the sooner they leave us be!” Sabo growled at the group of six men and women. 

“Wise words for once,” Lucci spoke calmly from behind the group. They all looked at the tall, sharply dressed man with disdain. 

“Just start your search so we can be done here!” Sabo demanded him in his most authoritative voice. Stepping back towards the tents with only the barest amount of hesitation. It wasn’t until he’d reentered the tent that he realized that he’d been separated from the rest of his team. He’d probably been singled out as the leader and the one that needed special attention. 

_Fuck! So embarrassing!_

Sabo scowled but allowed the tent flap to close him in with Lucci and Kaku. He might as well try to make this as uncomfortable for them as it was going to be for him. 

Lucci stepped up in front of Sabo with his arms folded and a stern look. “Strip,” he demanded coldly. Sabo rolled his eyes and began to unwrap his light blue Kufiyya, taking the heavy black wool Agal off and tossing it in the corner as he did. 

“You boys got singles?” Sabo smirked when both men balked at his audacity, so of course, he had to push it further. “Didn’t expect to be giving a strip tease in the desert but life is odd, eh? Might as well take this all the way, anyone for a lap dance?” 

Kaku actually blushed and thankfully Lucci stepped the hell back. 

“You aren’t exactly my type,” Lucci scoffed as Sabo untied the braided cord he had tied around his waist. 

“Oh but my good sirs, you’ve never even seen my shoulders before, how would you know what type I am?” Sabo felt a bit gleefully when Kaku gulped. Looks like little Square Nose bats for the same team as Sabo, interesting to know. 

“Personality, you reek of pretentiousness,” Lucci sneered. 

“You might be smelling yourself, Pigeon,” Sabo singsonged the words as he began to peel away his lightweight baby blue tunic. 

The tunic had made the blonde almost formless, the long dress like cloth had sleeves that covered down to the man’s finger tips. It was almost surreal to see the folds of baby blue slowly reveal slim shoulders and a lean muscled back. 

Sabo could feel the moment the two men noticed the vast amount of scars along his body. The burn scars reached down the entirety of his left side, his left arm was a patchwork of healed skin grafts where the burns had been the worst. The burns twisted and licked down his back and barely curled around to his right side on the small of his back. His left leg had patches of scars running down his soft skin until just under his knee. 

Lucci felt like the air had thinned in the tent as he looked over the blond, he was smaller than he would have pictured if he’d ever been inclined to before. The charity working boy had a body most people dreamed of, toned muscles and perfect proportions. 

Sabo cocked a hip and raised a brow at them. “Are you going to search me or are you both just going to stare at me all day?” 

He couldn’t help but be a little self conscious of the scars along his body. He sometimes felt like his skin was a rejected painting detailing the stark contrast between marble and wood. 

“Oh y-yeah!” The slight blush on the man’s face doing nothing for the slight stutter in his words. Kaku stepped forward to start searching through his clothes.

Sabo stepped out of the pile so Kaku could collect it all, standing back in his boxers and just waiting. 

Sabo’s eyes snapped up to look suspiciously at Lucci as he stepped closer. 

“What the hell do you think you're doing?” Sabo bit out at him. 

“If you are going to keep the boxers then I need to frisk you,” Lucci stated, looking bored and uncaring about it all. 

Lucci was overwhelmed with the need to touch this younger man. He _needed_ to get his hands on him. He was like a work of art, a stunning statue made of marble and petrified wood depicting all that was beautiful about the male form. 

“Fine, whatever. Let’s get this over with,” Sabo sighed dramatically, sticking his nose in the air in a surprisingly prim manner.

Lucci eyed the younger man’s slim waist, softly but commandingly placing his hands on the delicate curve of his hips. He almost chuckled when he felt the slight jump of muscle under his hand, apparently he’d startled the blonde with the firm touch. 

He actually liked this side of the blonde, a man who he’d thought he liked no sides of, this nervously shaking, false bravo side was charming. It reminded Lucci of an animal backed into a corner but was still trying to pretend it had the upper hand. 

It was cute, and Lucci’s favorite part of any hunt. 

Slowly, deliberately Lucci slid his hands down and forward, feeling up the young blondes thighs. Sabo made a soft noise of panic when Lucci’s hands got uncomfortably close to his groin. 

Sabo shot a look up at the taller man, gulping slightly. Was this revenge for teasing them earlier? If so, he should step away before Sabo smacked him upside the head!

Lucci smirked down at the frightened look in the others eyes, liking the way the blonde trembled under his touch. It didn’t even seem that the blonde knew he was trembling. 

_How adorable. His little do-good rabbit was trying so hard to look tough._

Sliding his hands back, just shy of the blonde’s groin, Lucci ran his hands down his plump ass. He almost wanted to squeeze but it would spoil the fun of stalking his newly acquired prey. It was really all the blonds own fault, he wouldn’t have given his body more than a cursory glance if he hadn’t insisted on being a tease. 

His fingers dipped down, creasing the underwear into the crack of his lovely romp. 

“Your clothes are checked and cleared,” Kaku spoke up breaking the moment to pieces. Sabo jumped away, practically diving into his clothes. 

“Thanks, Kaku,” Lucci glared at his colleague for interrupting. 

Kaku looked up at him, smirking a bit. “You’re always welcome, Lucci,” he said in a happy tone. He knew what he’d done and the stupid giraffe found it hilarious to get between a leopard and his prey. 

Sabo quickly re-dressed himself, soothing his racing heart from whatever the hell _that_ had been. Lucci had rarely even looked at Sabo unless they were fighting. _What in the ever living fuck had gotten into that pigeon bastard?!_

Once he was back in the safety of his many layers Sabo stood up and tried to pretend like he wasn’t just felt up by a heartless thug for hire. 

“Now, since I’m guessing you didn’t find any plans for revolt in my boxers would you like to check our tents before you get the fuck out, or are you not satisfied yet?” Sabo narrowed his eyes threateningly. 

Lucci smirked. “You ran away very quick, I might need to check again.” 

Sabo flushed and then growled in his throat. “I don’t have time for this, search the tents and then begone!” He yelled as he shoved passed them both and marched out. 

Kaku snickered into his hand as the tent flaps closed. “So I see you’ve decided to go hunting,” he spoke meaningfully to his fellow mercenary. An hour ago Lucci only had a few words to rub together about the non profit goodie goodie. Now it seemed the man had changed his mind about the blonde. 

“Indeed, I have.” Lucci grinned, bloodthirsty lust showing over his normally expressionless features. 

“May god have mercy on that boy's soul,” Kaku laughed as he headed to exit the tent as well. Before he left he stopped to look back at the predatory man. “Have you ever even bothered to remember his name?” 

Lucci frowned at that because he really hadn’t. Before today the blonde was just thorn in his side, fun to mess with on occasion but annoying. 

“It’s Sabo, don’t know his family name because he’s never given it,” Kaku informed him before finally stepping out of the tent. 

* * *

  
  
  


Lucci made it clear as soon as they began the search of the ROW workers' tents that he’d be the one searching Sabo’s tent. His prey was a smart little thing so information would be crucial to catching him. 

Plus he wanted no one else inside his prey’s place of rest, Lucci was a possessive man, and wouldn’t allow anyone else near what was his, and Sabo would be his very soon. 

He entered the small tent and looked around with interest. On the ground was a sleeping mat and heavy duty army sleeping bag with a small table that seemed to be used as a writing desk. 

On one side of the tent was a hung up pirate flag, only the skull had been replaced by three letters. ASL hung proud over where Sabo rested his head every night. It looked hand made so Lucci pondered over its significance. 

Next he glanced over the photos pinned up to the side of the tent. Most of them were of Sabo and some group of savages from his travels but three photos stuck out as being much older. 

One was of a very young looking Sabo grinning up at the camera with a raven haired boy at his side. Both were in a fighting stance and held a lead pipe like a weapon. 

The next photo was mostly burnt but showed Sabo with a blank and bored expression, holding the hand of what looked to be a woman. He could only see the woman’s arm before the burnt edge cut it off. The most interesting thing of the photo was how Sabo looked even more like a little gentleman than he normally did. 

Lucci took that photo and turned it around, finding a scribbled note in the corner. _‘Sabo’s first suit -Outlook family-‘_

“Outlook Sabo, Huh?” Lucci furrowed a brow, the name sounded very familiar. 

Putting the photo back Lucci looked at the last photo. It was of a young Sabo again, this time he had his arm around a young raven haired boy wearing a straw hat. The raven haired boy from the first photo stood to the other side of the straw hat boy, fondly looking at the two with a small smile. Behind them the same ASL pirate flag hung proudly. 

Lucci curiously took the photo and looked at the back. _‘Ace, Luffy, Sabo -ASL pirate alliance-‘_ the scribbled inscription in the corner was softer than the first, the handwriting more gentle in nature. What he was learning was very conflicting so far. One picture showed the rich boy already bored of life and the other two featured a smiling child ready for adventure. 

He put the photo back and turned his attention back to the impromptu writing desk, noting the way everything had a place. Lucci glanced around before picking up what seemed to be a journal. 

He gave a quick skim through a few pages and was impressed by the level of skill demonstrated in what ended up being sketches. Mostly skylines and different landforms filled the pages of the journal, sometimes small notes were written in the corners, just little anecdotes from whatever day he’d decided to draw. 

“What the hell do you think you're doing?!” Lucci looked up blankly to see a fuming Sabo holding open the flap of the tent. 

“Just making sure you haven’t stolen any government secrets, I haven’t found anything suspicious, although I’m impressed by your skill in art.” Lucci looked back to the book and casually flipped to the next page, this one more fanciful. The picture depicted an ocean during a storm, the eye of the storm hanging over head and filtering the light beautifully. On the sea was a ship, a pirate ship to be specific, and somehow even though the seas looked rough the ship had a sense of happiness surrounding it. 

“Give me that! Don’t just look through my sketchbook!” Sabo yelled, blushing slightly from the compliment. Normally he didn’t allow anyone to see his art except for his brothers. 

Sabo reached forward to grab his book only for Lucci to grab his wrist to stop him. 

“I’m still looking,” Lucci mumbled, flipping to the next page with his thumb and felt a smirk tug on his lips. The picture he’d gotten to was of himself, a charcoal sketch of Lucci and his colleagues. “Did you draw this after the first time we ran into each other?” 

“What I draw is my business! And for your information I only drew you so I could warn other ROW volunteers about you and your disposable lot!” Sabo yelled, squirming to be released from Lucci’s strong grip. 

Lucci raised a mocking brow at Sabo, finding his excuse lacking. Especially considering that the portrait of himself was exquisitely detailed. 

Sabo growled at him, still trying to struggle from Lucci’s grip on his wrist. Lucci looked back to the sketchbook and flipped to the next page, only slightly disappointed to find that it was yet another forest. 

“You have a good eye for detail,” Lucci remarked coolly, as if the blonde wasn’t desperately fighting his grip. “And you certainly seem to like forests, I’m guessing you spent a good amount of time in one.” 

Sabo bristled, completely over this man’s insolence now, Sabo swiftly kicked at the man’s head. 

“Get the fuck out of my tent!” Sabo yelled as he aimed. 

In a quick moment Lucci dropped the sketch book and blocked the kick with his forearm while yanking Sabo down in the same movement. 

Sabo fell into the unfeeling man and suddenly they rolled. Lucci pinning Sabo down to the sleeping mat in a matter of seconds. 

Sabo froze at the feral grin that took over the man’s normally impassive face. He eyed Sabo underneath him with wild and cruel delight. 

Both of Sabo’s wrists were now caged in one of Lucci’s hands, his legs trapped under the large man’s knees which pressed painfully into his thighs. 

“Get off me!” Sabo thrashed underneath him. 

Lucci’s grin widened as his latest prey fought him desperately. Nimbly Lucci snatched the boy's chin and held him still. 

“You’re a feisty little thing, you know?” Lucci spoke with a mockery of warmth in his voice. “But I like the fight, the slow breaking of my prey's will. I’ll be sure to enjoy you for all your worth.” 

Sabo felt ice grip him as he finally understood how the man had been looking at him since the strip search. Possession, not in the classic sense, but in the way a predator claims its kill before an attack. He had the eyes of a beast willing to stalk its chosen target for thousands of miles. Sabo gulped in fear. 

“Don’t disappoint me, my pretty little rabbit.” Lucci sat up, leaving his petrified prey frozen on his back. It would be so easy to attack him now, the younger man too shocked to put up much of a fight. But what would be the fun in that? 

Lucci smirked at him as he turned, picked up the sketchbook and slipped it into his pocket. “I’m going to borrow this,” he said easily, heading towards the exit.

As Lucci lifted the tent flap he glanced back at Sabo, seeing how he’d pressed himself as far away as he could. “Run, run, run while you can, my Sabo.”

Lucci laughed as he left the boy to quake in fear. 


	2. Forbidden Fruit

_Dear Luffy and Ace, it has been two months since I was sexually assaulted an-_

Sabo scribbled out the words and groaned. Anyway he wrote the events of two months ago he knew they would inspire worry for his well being. He didn’t want to freak his brothers out but he also wanted to keep them updated about his life! 

_Dear Luffy and Ace, my sketchbook was stolen by an armed mercenary that seems to want to hunt me?_

Sabo scribbled out the words again, letting his head fall on the desk. This was impossible to dress down into a less frightening event! At least Sabo hadn’t had the displeasure of running into CP9 in a while, so whatever Lucci planned was far away from Sabo! 

Dragon had moved him to a small oasis town of mostly women. This town was a rest stop in a very important angel network. The angel network was an Underground Railroad of sorts to smuggle out women in abusive relationships. Sabo was here with a small team of women to give comprehensive lessons on STD’s and other basic information for healthy, safe sex. 

Sabo was mostly here to protect his team but a few times he’d had to answer a question for the girls. 

“Mr. Sabo?” A girl’s cheerful voice called from outside his hut. The town had been kind enough to offer the seven women in his team a small hut to share and Sabo a small one of his own. Sabo wasn’t allowed to be in an enclosed space alone with a woman while in town, it was a cultural thing that Sabo didn’t mind. 

“Oh hey Val,” Sabo smiled for the young girl. “What’s up?”

Val waited at the door of his small hut. It would be very inappropriate for her to be in his hut alone with him. 

“Well, me and the girls were wondering if you’d do us a favor?” She smiled pleadingly. The way she pouted her lip gave Sabo a bad feeling. 

“Uh, what is it?”

“Well... you’re so pretty for a boy and....” she held up a bundle of clothes and Sabo recognized it as the clothing the girls in town wore. “We want to know if anyone could tell if you were a boy when dressed like us!” 

Sabo paled as he looked down at the blue flowery fabric and then back up at Val, more girls had appeared behind her and were all staring up at him with big puppy dog eyes. 

_“Pleeeeeaaaaaassssseeeeee!”_ They all cried as Sabo lost any will to deny them. 

An hour later Sabo stood blushing and resigned in his new outfit. Koala laughed at him as the girls taught him the sword dance of the town girls. 

Sabo twisted the fabric of the top in his hands. It was loose and flowed from a gold choker at his neck down to barely cover his chest. He tried pulling up the cut off harem pants he was wearing to no avail. They rested low on his hips. The top and pants were made of the same flowing fabric which was printed with a lovely floral pattern. The pants were cut off just above his knees by gold bands and he groaned, fixing the sheer blue fabric that covered half of his face. The same material on his mask was also on his forearms creating poofs that ended with the same gold bands as his choker and pants. The girls had braided the side of his hair beautifully and he had to resist running his hands through his hair if he didn’t want to upset them. He shuffled on his feet and was reminded that he wasn’t wearing his usual boots and instead was standing in gold slip on shoes.

“Guys, look it’s Princess Sabo!” Koala guffawed in a very unlady like manner. A few of the other girls on his team giggled as well and Sabo shot them all a glare. 

“Laugh it up, they made you all some outfits too.” The group of RWO workers froze. Some seemed pleased while others were horrified. Many of the RWO were made up of people with scars and dark pasts, many of them wore a lot of clothing to cover those scars and weren’t comfortable getting in such revealing clothing. 

But the oasis town girls had made these for them, if they rejected such a kind present then they’d lose credibility. They had no choice, just as Sabo didn’t. 

“We’re all getting a dance class today,” Sabo told Koala with a smirk, seeing her face fall into resignation as well. 

_Serves her right for making fun of him!_

  
  


* * *

  
  


“The targets are believed to have used an angel network and are now in the Paradise Oasis Province. There are a few oasis towns so we will be splitting up to search. The town you’re going to is mostly made up of a female population so you’ll already stick out. The boss sent ahead for local outfits for us so we don’t draw too much attention while searching.” Kalifa read the dossier to the group in the car as they drove for the multiple oases along the edge of the massive desert. “Those are already in the car so once we stop we can all change and we will all split up to our assigned areas.” 

“If Lucci will stick out in his town doesn't it make sense for you to go?” Kaku asked the strawberry blonde woman. 

“No, my assigned town _only_ allows women. No man is allowed and would be too much of a hassle to send anyone else.” She pushed up her glasses while handing out pictures of the escaped harem girls they were searching for. “These are the girls but if you see the brunette be gentle with her. She is the Sultan's favorite and he will pay extra if she is returned without a bruise.”

“Understood,” they all nodded, taking in the photos and burning the images into their minds. 

Conversation ended when they were done getting through the mission assignments. They weren’t exactly friends and felt no need to speak to each other to fill the silence. 

Instead Lucci went back to flipping through his stolen sketchbook. He’d been through it many times over the last two months. 

His Sabo was really quite the artist, the way he drew made one think the picture could be a photo. The pictures were almost entirely some forest or another, the rest made up of random landscapes of places he’d been and the occasional drawing of the sea and a pirate ship. 

The rarest of the drawings were the ones that Lucci thought of in the dead of night. Drawings of the two raven haired boys, some of them with the boys older than the photographs he’d seen before. The smile of the boy in the straw hat was rather annoying, like the look of a person so naive that they probably believed the world to be inherently good and warm. Everyone knew the world was a steaming pile of crap and it was survive or die, kill or be killed, most likely killed by the ones willing to kill. 

Point was that this smiling boy would be unprepared when the world decided to destroy everything he loved. The boy was so unlike Sabo, a boy carved with the very hardships of this life. Fire had bathed his marble skin and found him stronger then its deadly wrath. 

Lucci opened the sketchbook and his face softened slightly at the familiar drawing of a forest. He hadn’t known why he took the book in the beginning but after two months he’d figured out why he’d wanted it with him. Sabo’s drawing let Lucci feel again, his eyes glanced back to the drawing, tracing it with his eyes. The image of the tall trees at twilight gave off a feeling of longing. The fireflies made one think of the forest as almost magical and peaceful. And then the treehouse hanging above, the panels and boards well loved and sturdy made one feel at home. 

“I hear the RWO is in one of the oases around Paradise,” Kaku smirked when he noticed Lucci looking through the notebook once again. 

Lucci glanced at him in interest. They hadn’t run into the RWO, much to Lucci’s chagrin, in the last two months. 

As much as Lucci would like to stalk his prey and follow Sabo to his latest remote location, he did have a job. Spandam may be a pompous jackass but he was in charge for the time being and Lucci would like to hold onto the power he had on the team. 

“Interested?” Kaku asked when Lucci looked to him. 

“Of course,” Lucci hummed, looking out the window to the distant greenery where his prey might be hiding. “I’ve been wanting to go hunting.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Lucci fixed the ordainment that held the metal armor over his shoulder, which was made up of two metal plates. Along with the armor on his shoulder he had more on his right forearm that had the same design. The outlining on the metal was leopard print. In the middle of the armor pieces were three upside down teardrop shapes with the same leopard print pattern. It had been customized to his liking. He fixed the strap that held the fabric of his black half shirt up. It covered only a part of his chest and had a long sleeve on the right side. Tying a white square of fabric around his waist he smoothed down the form of his black harem pants. Completing his outfit were a pair of black slip on shoes.

Lucci looked over the cobblestone streets and stone huts with straw mat roofs. A gleeful feeling sparked in his chest at the thought of how easily it would all burn. He couldn’t do that of course, but the idea of it was entertaining. 

The disguise worked wonders, no one looked at him with suspicion as he walked through the town. He was undercover as a merchant, making him blend into the bustling market town. Of course it was mainly a female population but a few men dotted the crowds. 

“Okay, so then you sway your hips like this as you balance the sword’s dull edge in your hand- yes! You’re all doing great!” 

Lucci glanced over to a cluster of women near a fountain, apparently giving a sword dancing lesson. The seven women learning all had a lighter skin tone so Lucci assumed they were all RWO members. This potentially meant his prey was somewhere close, he never did leave his team alone for long. 

Lucci watched the group for a moment, taking in the showy outfits of the town girls and the RWO members. 

A flash of familiar blue caught his eye and Lucci focused on one of the dancing girls. It took him only a moment to actually focus on her body and notice the expanse of burn scars. 

_Marble and wood, carved together elegantly._

He whistled as he watched those slim hips sway to the beat of a small drum. He had barely recognized his Sabo in that get up, but it was certainly a pleasure to see him in it. 

It looked like he’d bathed before getting in the outfit, his hair shimmered in the sunlight, the soft blue complimenting the pale skin on his right side and highlighting the hardened beauty of the scars on his left. 

Lucci was frozen to the spot, floored by the overwhelming lovely-ness before him. His prey was truly a unique specimen, his smile hid secrets that Lucci couldn’t wait to discover. He wasn’t some naive fool, innocent of the world's endless stream of crap. 

He stepped back into the shade of a palm tree and leaned against it, content to watch for a while. The possibility of Sabo one day performing that dance for him was a pleasant one. 

Lucci had of course researched the area so he knew the dance was one for the purpose of attracting a man. Even the braids along the side of his head held significance to the process of finding a mate. 

Soon enough the dance lesson ended and the town girls were hurried away by the RWO women for some kind of lesson of their own. Sabo waved them off, many of the girls stopping to thank him for indulging their whim and to tell him how pretty he looked. Lucci would have to agree to that sentiment. 

Sabo just laughed, looking a bit bashful about it all. 

“Just don’t ever ask me to wear this again, okay ladies?” He teased, even going as far to mock bow when they complained that he looked too nice in the outfit to never wear it again. “Take a good look because you won’t be seeing it again, now you all have a lesson and I must change.” He tipped his head to them in a polite manner. “Afternoon, ladies.”

Sabo gave them a wave as he headed off. Lucci straightened up and followed at a distance. Sabo would frequently stop to crouch down and talk with kids he passed and call adults by name over to ask about their day. A few times he had to explain why he was dressed like an unwed female and most that passed got a good laugh out of it. One man even mentioning he had a good heart for giving into the girls request. 

“My job here is just to protect the girls on my team so I have time to indulge them, this town is very peaceful,” Sabo said to the man before saying his goodbyes and continuing on. He stopped once to buy an apple before finally getting to his destination: a small hut. 

It must be the home given to him while staying here considering he didn’t even stop to knock on the door. 

Sabo disappeared behind the door and Lucci smirked as his prey cornered himself. He confidently strode forward and opened the door, closing it as he stepped in. 

Nothing had changed much from how Sabo arranged his tent. The pirate flag hung proudly over his straw bed and he had a writing desk that was perfectly organized. One thing did immediately seem odd.... Sabo wasn’t in the room. 

Lucci took a few steps forward before he paused as a knife was pressed against his neck. 

“You think I didn’t notice you following me?” Sabo growled. 

Of course he’d noticed the mercenary following him through the town! And as embarrassing as being caught in this outfit was he wasn’t going to just let this bastard into his temporary home again! When he’d gotten to his hut he’d hid behind the door in order to attack Lucci if he dared come inside. 

“Hm, sorry for underestimating you,” Lucci answered back, unbothered about the knife pressed against his neck. 

“What the hell do you think you're doing inside my home, you damn goblin cat?!” Sabo snarled, angry that Lucci didn’t care that he had the upper hand. 

“Hunting.” Lucci turned his head to smirk at the blonde. 

Sabo sneered at him, pressing the knife harder against his throat. 

“Cut the bullshit Pigeon! Give me back my sketchbook and get the hell out!” Sabo ordered him. “I don’t know why you’ve followed me all the way to Paradise, whether it’s to harass me or what, I do not care. Just leave this town now!”

Lucci chuckled, his laughter growing stronger the more he thought of this small boy in such an outfit ordering him to do anything. 

“Stop laughing, or I’ll slit your throat!” 

Lucci grinned, grabbing the boy's arm in a quick movement and dropping down. He used the leverage to toss the blonde over his head and onto the bed. Sabo’s wrist twisted in his hand and he cried out in pain, Lucci ignored the sound. He ripped the knife away and pinned both of the blondes hands to the bed while pressing the knife against his throat. 

“I didn’t come to Paradise for you, it is a welcome surprise to see you though, and you’re all dressed up for me too,” Lucci chuckled down at the horrified look on the blonde's face. 

Sabo flushed, his position and clothes creating a very unbecoming image in his mind. The larger man was straddling his waist and he was barely clothed! 

Lucci roved his eyes down Sabo’s body, barely covered by the silk of his outfit. 

“Get off me!” Sabo yelled but froze as his own knife nicked him. Lucci gave him a snide look as he whimpered, a bit of blood dripping down his neck. 

“Do you understand? I have your life in my hand Sabo, and believe that, unlike you, I’ve killed before and I will again without a care,” Lucci whispered in a low voice, his eyes still eating up the vast amount of skin on display. He glanced back up to lock eyes with Sabo, and he saw the moment the boy realized that Lucci could and would kill him. 

“What the hell do you want from me? Why are you here?” Sabo asked, beginning to shake slightly. 

“I’m searching for some escaped harem girls, as for what I want from you...” Lucci pulled the knife away, throwing it to the side. It hit the wall with a _thunk_ and sank into the wood support beam a full two inches. He’d only used a light flick to throw it and yet that power level could have killed someone if it hit them! 

Lucci smirked at the stricken look on Sabo’s face before placing his hand on the blonde's bare ribcage, feeling him jump in fright. 

“I believe I’ve made it obvious what I want from you, dear little prey.”

Sabo gulped, his tongue swelling in his throat from terror. This man had him trapped all alone and he had not even a shred of morality! Sabo was starting to actually feel afraid. 

“Nothing to say?” Lucci asked, thumbing one of Sabo’s exposed ribs. His scar made the skin rough to the touch. 

Sabo turned his head away, biting his lip as he tried to think his way out of this situation. 

“Your scars are beautiful,” Lucci mused, tracing his fingers over the curved edges once made by licks of fire. He wanted to do something similar to the skin. “Like a marble forest. I could stay here all day admiring it, you've been carved so exquisitely.” 

Sabo flushed a deep scarlet, the red reaching down to his chest. 

“Stop,” Sabo whispered. “Just leave... please.”

Lucci hummed thoughtfully, liking the terror in his prey's eyes but it was still too early to do anything drastic. He’d begun his hunt two months ago, allowed his prey to run away thinking he had escaped him. Now it was time to let it be known that there was no escape. 

“No, I’m quite comfortable,” Lucci murmured in a husky tone. 

Sabo furrowed his brows to glare up at the man. He wasn’t some naive idiot to be pushed around! He had fought, scraped, and clawed for everything in his life and he was confident in a fight. But the problem was that this was a man _trained_ to kill. If Sabo wasn’t careful he could really end up dead. 

“Well I’m very uncomfortable and would appreciate you getting the hell off me!” Sabo snarled. It was the Luffy in him that allowed him to disregard his last thought completely. 

Lucci grinned down at the feisty young man, huffing softly in delight to see that fire come back. Moving his hand from the blonde’s ribcage and instead moving to brush a bit of hair behind his ear. 

Sabo flinched, much to the amusement of Lucci. 

“Do you know what this hairstyle means?” Lucci asked in an almost conversational tone. 

Sabo grimaced, not liking where this was going. 

“I’m going to take that as a no,” Lucci chuckled. “Without a hair ornament it basically means you are unattached and are looking for a husband.”

Sabo gapped, did his hair style really mean such a thing?! Thinking back a lot of girls with this hairstyle had flirted with him since he got here! 

Lucci laughed at the flabbergasted look on the boy's face. “You can imagine what a slight that is to me, considering I’ve already marked you as mine.”

Sabo bristled underneath the man who’d dare _claim_ him as if he was property! “You’re a fiend! I belong to no one!” 

“Are you sure? No one has seen me, no one knows you and I are in here alone, and I’m certain you told no one of our last conversation.” Lucci tipped his head thoughtfully. “Do you think if I knocked you out and spirited you away that anyone would know where to look for you? In fact I have a lot of time, money, and power from my so-called despicable job, do you think you could ever escape? Would you belong to me when you are helpless and trapped in my grasp?” 

Sabo paled, a sick feeling in his stomach as he felt he had just taken an ice bath. 

Lucci’s feral grin grew as the boy under him looked close to panicked tears. Wanting to tease him more he continued, “It would be fun if you tried to escape though. My home is very remote, I’m sure I'd have fun hunting you down again and _again_.” 

Sabo gulped, fighting to remember how to breathe. 

“Yo-you aren’t going to do that,” Sabo stated bravely, even if he stuttered. 

“Hm? And why do you think that?” Lucci asked, unable to hide his dark joy at how this day was turning out. 

“Because what fun would already captured prey be?” Sabo asked rhetorically. “You don’t seem the type to enjoy fox hunting.” The act of fox hunting was almost a staged form of hunting, Sabo had been taken to a fox hunt before he’d run away from home. It was sickening, an already trapped fox was left to starve in a cage for a day before being released. All the rich assholes on the hunt then got to leisurely ride horseback through the forest while a pack of dogs caught and tore apart an already weakened animal. 

Lucci laughed, pulling back from the boy to roar in merth. How had he not targeted this blonde earlier?

Calming himself Lucci squeezed Sabo’s wrists roughly. “That, you are correct about,” he chuckled, still very amused. 

Lucci released his wrists and got up from the bed. The moment he was released Sabo pressed himself into the corner, putting out his hands to fight back if he should need to. 

“Your sketchbook,” Lucci pulled out the item and held it up. “Do you have another to trade?”

“No! Just give it back!” Lucci shrugged, placing the item down and picking up the apple Sabo had bought. 

Lucci looked him over again, licking his lips at how delectable he looked. “I may not want to take you away at the moment but you should be careful, Little Rabbit.” Lucci memorized the delicate curve of Sabo’s shoulders and the lovely taper of his waist. “I am not the only man that would want to take you away when you’re dressed like that.” Once he’d given his warning based on his possessiveness, Lucci turned towards the door. “See you around, _my Sabo_ ,” He laughed as he bit into the apple, leaving the hut with that. 

Sabo stared at the door for a few minutes, his heart racing a mile a minute. Finally he allowed himself to collapse onto the straw mattress once he was sure Lucci wouldn't return. 

_Dear Luffy and Ace, I’m fucked._

* * *

  
  


Sabo was watchful for the next few days, he kept his head on a swivel and didn’t let down his guard. He made sure to ask to be notified if any escaped harem girls came through the angel network as well. He may be a man in a peaceful organization but he’d be damned if Lucci got his way and dragged a girl back into an abusive relationship! 

He, of course, warned the women in charge of the network in Paradise that a mercenary group was after someone that could potentially be in one of the oases. 

Luckily he hadn’t seen Lucci since the incident at his hut. He didn’t hold any hope that it wouldn’t continue though. 

“Mr. Sabo!” One of the town girls ran up to him with panic in her voice. 

“Fey, what’s wrong?” Sabo asked, running over to her. 

“The girl’s that man is after were just smuggled into town, we’re trying to get them to the next safe place but that man is checking all the wagons,” she whispered to him. “We can’t get them out with him in the way!” 

“Shit!” Sabo chewed on his lip, seeing the problem. 

“Where are the others? We can go discuss the problem and what to do.” 

“I’ll show you,” She said as she took his hand and took him to the edge of town where Koala, and a few women were peeking around corners to see Rob Lucci standing at the only road out of town, checking every wagon that passed. 

“Ladies, what's the plan?” Sabo asked as he joined them. 

Savi, one of the operators of the town's angel network, turned to him and chewed on her thumb nail to explain where they were with a plan to get the escaped harem girls out of town. 

“We’ve been trying to find a way to distract the man but he is completely focused on his task. We’ve sent some of our most seductive girls and he barely looks at them!” She explained. “If we could just look away for even ten minutes we could sneak the girls out by foot and have them meet up with a caravan just past the river.”

“Sabo, you run into him a lot, any idea what his type is?” Koala asked, glaring at the man’s figure. 

Sabo felt his shoulders drop and something inside him curl up and die a bit. The time old question ran through his mind, _what the fuck is life and why is it so ridiculous?!_

“I do know his type,” Sabo admitted, looking away and hunching his shoulders. 

“Really? Lucky! What is his type? We can send a girl to distract him immediately!” Savi smiled brightly even as Sabo felt like he’d die right then and there. 

“It’s me,” Sabo told them. “I am his type.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Sabo sighed for the hundredth time as around him Koala, Savi, Fey, and a few others powdered his skin and roughly braided up his hair. Savi was lecturing him in the art of seduction, one of the specialties of the town. 

“Keep your eyes lidded, and eye contact is a must. Men like to know they are your sole focus,” She explained. 

“Is this all really necessary?” Sabo asked while they began applying makeup to his face. 

“Of course! Last time you were in this outfit as a joke, this time it’s a mission!” Fey told him seriously. “Never underestimate the power of your own natural charm!” 

“You can do it Sabo,” Koala snickered. She hadn’t stopped laughing since he finally fessed up that the mercenary wanted him, along with his very odd hunting fetish. 

“Fuck you Koala,” Sabo hissed at her. He hadn’t wanted to worry her and so hadn’t mentioned the threat to kidnap him. 

Once they were done ‘preparing’ him for his mission, Sabo was led by a gaggle of girls to the edge of town. Lucci was still there, searching through every wagon that passed. 

The plan was fairly simple, Sabo would approach Lucci to ask what he thought he was doing and act as if he wasn’t dressed up just for him. 

“God, this is really happening,” Sabo breathed in disbelief. 

“Get out there and use your body already!” Koala shoved him forward, making him stumble a bit. He glared back at her but didn’t say anything further. 

This would be fine, right? It wasn’t like it was out of the ordinary for Sabo to be protective of the town he was in and keep a close eye on Lucci. Only this time he was all made up to be as alluring as possible to a very aggressive man. 

“Just remember, today you are the hunter,” Savi called before they all moved to hide. 

Lucci looked up when he noticed someone approaching him. He’d been watched for a while now and had expected someone to come sooner than this. A few girls had tried to get his attention but Lucci wasn’t a fool. 

He tipped his head in surprised awe when he found Sabo to be the one marching towards him. And all dressed up once again. 

Sabo set his expression into a firm look as Lucci spotted him, his head tipping and a smirk over taking his lips. It wasn’t fair that he was actually very attractive, this would be much easier if Sabo didn’t think he was one of the most handsome men he’d ever seen. 

“My Sabo,” Lucci greeted, his eyes watching the exaggerated sway of Sabo’s hips. 

“Lucci,” Sabo stated coldly. “You’re scaring the town, what the hell are you doing performing checks on the departing wagons?” 

Lucci raised a brow at the blonde, he thought he’d told Sabo why he was here and he could figure out the rest from there. 

Instead of answering the question Lucci decided to comment on his attire. “I see you’ve ignored my warning,” he said in a husky tone. Sabo was once again freshly bathed and his skin looked flawless if one ignored the scars. Not that Lucci ever would, he thought they only added to his beauty. 

Sabo huffed and folded his arms. “I can do whatever I want.” 

“I’m not complaining,” Lucci told him with a shrug moving over to a small embankment of palm trees to sit in the shade. “Care to sit?”

Sabo glanced to the road and then back to Lucci. He just needed to keep him occupied for ten minutes, he could do that!

“Sure.” Sabo hesitantly stepped forward, intending to sit next to him on some wooden boxes that he’d set up. Only at the last second to have Lucci reach out and pull Sabo into his lap. “Hey!” Sabo yelled as he was pulled flush against Lucci’s chest. 

“Yes?” Lucci asked him with a cocky smile, leaning forward to nip at Sabo’s jawline. 

Sabo made a high pitched sound in his throat, pulling back from the surprise nip. Lucci’s arms kept him pinned to his lap and Sabo could barely squirm. 

“Is this necessary?” Sabo whined. 

Lucci chuckled as he tightened his grip on Sabo. “Of course, my prey has come to me and is wearing such an alluring outfit. If I didn’t know better I would assume you were trying to distract me.” 

Sabo jerked in surprise, feeling sweat gather on the back of his neck as he twitched nervously. 

“Dis-Distract you? What? No.... why would I?” Sabo gave a strained laugh. 

Lucci raised a brow at him, silently telling him to drop the act. “So you weren’t sent here to keep me occupied while my targets are snuck out of town? Then, is this you finally giving yourself to me?”

“No!” Sabo gasped, wiggling to be released. 

“If you tell me the truth then I might let you up,” Lucci offered pleasantly. 

Sabo screwed up his lip sourly and blew out a breath. “Alright so you know I’m trying to distract you. Let me up so I can get out of this stupid outfit!”

“Why would you change?” Lucci asked, still not releasing Sabo. 

“Because obviously the plan failed.”

“Has it?” Lucci asked with a smirk. “I’m not being paid very much, I might be inclined to allow a few wagons past me for the right entertainment.” Lucci’s fingers began to make little circles on Sabo’s thigh, getting higher as they moved. 

Sabo glared at him but knew there really wasn’t much to do besides indulge the man. He squirmed again before just pouting. “Fine, what do you want?”

“Hm,” Lucci pretended to think about it. “Dance for me.” Lucci grinned. 

Sabo folded his arms and rolled his eyes. It wasn’t like he hadn’t planned on doing that anyway. “Fine.”

Lucci finally released him and Sabo got up as soon as he could. Backing up a few steps to be sure Lucci didn’t try anything further. He eyed Lucci’s sword with a hesitant flutter in his chest. 

The sword dance required he took the sword from the man he was trying to ‘seduce’ and his hair was done in the same style as a few days before. To anyone that knew this culture, Sabo was about to basically put himself on a silver platter for Lucci. 

“May I. . . May I use your sword?” Sabo asked, shuffling his feet slightly. 

Lucci hummed, his lips curling at the bashful stance his Sabo took. It was a good look on him, honestly the longer Lucci looked the more he realized that almost everything looked good on Sabo. 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Lucci shrugged off the sword over his shoulder and held the hilt out to Sabo. 

Sabo puffed out an annoyed cheek and took the hilt. He took a calming breath and tried to pretend that he was back in the town, learning the dance from Val. 

He held the sword in front of him, the blade down and and his hands clasped together over the hilt. Imagining the music in his head Sabo began to shake his hips, keeping the rest of his body still. He kept eye contact with Lucci as he let his eyes take on what he hoped was a heavy seductive expression. Moving his hands he began to spin the sword around as he stepped out in a half swivel, swaying his hips to the left. 

He turned his cheek away from Lucci, rolling his body forward as he bent back, arching himself to the sun. With nimble fingers and a quick step he tossed the spinning sword into the air while he himself spun around to face Lucci again. He clapped his hands three times before catching the sword in his hand. 

Lucci watched every moment with rapt attention, feeling himself become excited as the dance showed off the flexibility of Sabo. All his delicious curves on full display and just for Lucci. Every time those half lidded blue eyes caught his, he could swear he’d caught ablaze from the heat he felt for the boy. 

A few more twists, a delicate hip roll, and a few bends to show off his legs and backside later Sabo was gently stepping in front of Lucci. The sword balanced on his hands, the dull edge pressing against his palms as he presented himself and the sword back to Lucci. 

He was panting, a bit of sweat glistening on his skin as Lucci stared up at him with nothing but pure lust. 

Lucci took the sword and didn’t even bother putting it back in the scabbard, just threw it aside. 

“Come here,” He said in a gruff voice, grabbing Sabo’s wrist to yank him forward. 

“Ah!” Sabo gasped as he fell into Lucci’s lap, straddling the man. He wasn’t given a moment to ask what was happening before his jaw was grabbed and lips were devouring his. 

Sabo gasped again and that turned out to be a mistake as a tongue immediately invaded. His lips tingled as Lucci bit and swiped his tongue over the flesh. Lucci’s fingers dug possessively into his hips, pulling him closer. 

Something hard pressed against him and Sabo broke the kiss to look between them. Lucci immediately moved to kiss and bite at his neck while Sabo tried to see what was pressing against him. 

Sabo gulped when he found the source of the hard thing to be a bulge in Lucci’s harem pants. 

“You’re hard....” Sabo felt like his head might explode, everything was dizzy and his skin felt hot. 

The response Sabo received was Lucci rolling his hips up to grind against him. “So are you,” Lucci lowly whispered into his ear before nibbling on the appendage. Sabo moaned softly, arching forward as Lucci clawed his nails down Sabo’s spine. 

Lucci’s hand left his hip to bury itself in the hand on the nape of his neck. Sabo moved with the hand on his neck, steering his face back over so Lucci could devour his lips once again. 

Sabo clutched at Lucci’s board shoulders for dear life, barely understanding what was going on at the moment. How did he get here? What the hell was happening? He couldn’t think past the tongue twisting around his. 

“Uh, Sabo?” Lucci pulled back and Sabo jumped up like he’d just been struck by lightning. He was out of breath and wild eyed as he turned to see Koala. She had both eyebrows basically touching her hairline. “Um, we got done with our job awhile ago, so it’s time for us to do the lessons.... should I just come back?” A bit of humor was sparking in her eyes. 

“Yes,” Lucci growled. 

“No!” Sabo gasped. “I’m coming!”

“Certainly looked like you were about too,” Koala snickered. 

Sabo didn’t think it was possibly to grow even redder than he already was. 

“SHUT IT KOALA!” Sabo shoved past her to try and escape what had just happened. 

“Sabo,” Lucci called, his voice gravelly and rough from the moment before and his eyes dark with restrained lust. Sabo froze, turning to see him smuggly following after him. Koala didn’t even move to help, just stepped back and watched like it was some grand show. All she was missing was popcorn!

“What?” Sabo asked, his voice sharp and cutting in order to make sure he knew that _event_ had been a one time thing! 

Lucci chuckled at the way his prey tried to put distance between them. Without answering he took Sabo’s shoulder and turned him around. Sabo flinched but Lucci paid it no mind, he pulled out an ornate hair ornament from his pocket. 

“Wouldn't want you walking around without people knowing you’re spoken for, would we?” Lucci whispered, fixing the starburst shaped golden hairpiece with blue sapphires dripping from jingling chains. “A beautiful ornament to match its new owner.” Lucci stepped back and admired the wide eyed surprise on Sabo’s face. 

Gingerly Sabo reached up and touched the hair piece on the side of his head. Supposedly in this culture it meant that he was ‘taken’... Sabo felt as if his face combusted. 

“Goo-Goodbye!” Sabo forced out before turning and running away, with Koala running after him to tease him mercilessly. 

Lucci chuckled as he watched him go, mentally preparing himself for having to call up Spandam and tell him they’d failed. Fuck him though, Lucci had gotten something better than a payday, Lucci was fine with this result. 

“See you later, Little Rabbit,” Lucci whispered as he left as well. 


	3. Down The Rabbit Hole

Sabo watched the forest pass as he sat on the back of the moving Jeep. He felt at home in the forest, even if this was more of a jungle. 

This time the RWO has been asked to come to the country and administer medical aid to the small populous near the border. The country didn’t have a lot of doctors and the medicine they needed was very expensive. No doctor would come without some kind of protection paid for by the country as well. 

RWO was willing to donate the medicine and send some of their doctors on staff. Sabo and Koala were both here for protection because they’d both grown up in a forest. 

The country did mention hiring some extra protection for the team since they were saving so much with the donated medicine but Sabo didn’t pay it any mind. 

The Jeep wasn’t moving fast enough to concern Sabo about falling off as he sat without any precautions on the back, he just enjoyed the quiet as Koala snored away behind him. 

She’d be pissed if she heard him say she snored so he’d keep it to himself. 

“What a nice mission, we get to help people with Government backing. Normally country’s don’t care about little towns like this,” Sabo mused to himself as he watched the jungle from the back of the moving Jeep. 

Sabo kept talking, pretending to have a conversation with the sleeping Koala. He pointed out animals that he thought he saw, spoke of what must be lurking out in the dark trees, and told her how his little brother would probably try to find and eat one if he was here. 

What happened next was so sudden that Sabo couldn’t have hoped to save himself. 

Koala, still deep asleep, rolled over and scrunched up her nose. “Stupid Sabo! Shut it!” She shoved him with all her might, like she normally did when awake. Only this time he was on the every edge of a moving Jeep and hadn’t been worried before that the back wasn’t up. 

Sabo yelped as he tumbled out of the Jeep, his right leg searing in pain as it hit the muddy jungle road at an odd angle. If one could call this narrow path a road at all, it was just compacted dirt that was driven on enough that plants couldn’t grow on it anymore. 

He gasped in pain but immediately shot up to try and catch the attention of the driver, he was instantly face planted in the mud as his ankle twisted, having been lodged in the muddy road. 

“Fuck!” Sabo cursed as the Jeeps disappeared into the darkness of the forest, the hum of the engines fading away. “Wait! I could die out here you assholes!” Sabo screamed into the night. 

Silence was his only answer and Sabo could do nothing but gap into the darkness. He’d been abandoned in a jungle! Sabo glanced around with a hint of fear, it wasn’t like he thought he couldn’t handle it, he’d grown up in a forest after all. 

But he wasn’t an idiot, this was unfamiliar territory and it was filled with animals he didn’t know how to deal with from experience like back home. Plus he was pretty sure he’d twisted his right ankle, not even mentioning the way right his knee ached as well!

Sabo turned to his right foot, lodged deep into the mud. Most of the road was driveable but it seemed he’d fallen right into one of the few puddles of thick mud. 

“God damnit,” Sabo sighed. They were only an hour away from stopping to make camp for the night but it would take him all night to catch up with them, especially with a bum leg! 

And that’s assuming Hak didn’t zone out and drive through the night again! 

With a hard glare at his trapped foot, Sabo began the process of trying to pull it out from the vacuum of thick mud while trying not to cause himself more pain. 

It took about twenty minutes of gently pulling and digging into the mud to get his foot out. His nails were incredibly dirty by the time he was done with the task. 

Sabo sighed again, already lamenting how far he’d have to walk before he could get proper medical attention. He picked himself up, still shaking from the adrenaline rush of falling from a moving vehicle. It took him about ten minutes just to catch his balance with his leg writhing in pain. 

He tested his weight a few times and found he could fight his way through it but it was very painful. 

“Fucking Koala! Shoving me out of the car!” Sabo griped as he began to limp down the path, a sour expression on his face. 

He continued to cuss out Koala for the next hour of painful walking. He growled out all his frustrations, even knowing it wasn’t her fault, he still wanted someone to blame that wasn't himself at that moment. He knew logically that it was his own fault for putting down the back of the Jeep and sitting at the edge, but at that moment he didn’t care. 

Sabo was still grumbling when the rumble of a car became noticeable. For one moment Sabo thought maybe Hak had noticed his absence and turned around for him. He lit up in happiness and relief but didn’t see the Jeep in front of him. 

Sabo glanced back and felt as if everything got worse. He’d recognize those cars well and it was honestly the worst thing that could have happened at a time like this. 

He honestly hoped they’d just drive by, leave him alone even if it meant leaving him in the middle of the jungle. 

Of course one of the big black Jeeps stopped right next to him and the back passenger door opened. 

Sabo cringed as Lucci leaned causally out of the door, a smirk firmly in place as he stepped out to lean over the door of the car. 

“Well hello Little Rabbit, are you lost?” He asked teasingly. 

Sabo glared and folded his arms defiantly. “No, I know exactly where I am and where I’m going, thank you very much.”

Sabo turned, gritting his teeth to fight through the ache of his entire leg, he continued his slow walk forward. He forced himself to not limp, to not show any weakness. 

The car rolled forward with him, slowly keeping pace with him. 

“You look like you could use a ride,” he stated, still smirking. 

“I don’t, I'm taking a nice quiet stroll through the jungle, if you wouldn’t mind leaving me in peace, I can get back to it,” Sabo growled.

“So you decided to walk to your destination?” Lucci raised a perfectly kept eyebrow at him. 

“Yes,” Sabo determinedly looked again. 

“You realize it's a two day drive?” 

“Yep,” Sabo looked away to glare at him only to stumble slightly over a rock and place his leg down harder than intended. He shuddered in pain, a small cry leaving his lips on a whimper. 

“Are you injured?” Lucci fully stepped out of the car, the vehicle stopping as Lucci moved quickly to his side. 

“No! Stay back!” Sabo panicked, trying to sidestep him but the flare of pain made him stumble. He would have fallen off the side of the road if Lucci hadn’t jumped forward and caught his arm, steadying him. 

“You can barely walk, your ankle is probably swollen as well,” Lucci had a hard edge to his voice, the normal vaguely threatening flirtiness of it vanished. He almost seemed concerned. 

“It’s not a big deal! My group is probably just a little ahead making camp, leave me alone, I can manage myself,” Sabo weakly tried to pull his arm from Lucci’s grip but he was unrelenting, refusing to let go. 

Lucci started at him for a moment, his eyes searching for something that Sabo couldn’t distinguish. “We’ve been hired to protect you,” Lucci stated plainly as he pulled Sabo close and began to brush clumps of dirt off him. The mud had dried and was easily taken care of. Lucci then scooped Sabo up into his arms, uncaring as Sabo gasped and struggled to be put down. “I believe that would include protecting you from reckless decisions.”

“Let me down! I told you, I’m walking!” 

“And I just said that’s idiotic, I’m protecting you from yourself apparently,” Lucci chuckled, the sound vibrating against Sabo’s shoulder and making him flush for reasons he didn’t care to analyze. 

Lucci ignored Sabo’s next complaints as he walked Sabo back to the car. He gracefully slid into the car, holding Sabo firmly against his chest and being surprisingly careful not to jostle him. 

“This is kidnapping! You can’t just force me into a car!” Sabo looked around for anyone to back him up, specifically Kaku since he was normally a voice of reason. None of them batted an eye and as soon as the door closed the Jeeps were moving again. “This is ridiculous!” Sabo fumed. 

He looked around and found Kalifa to be driving, Jabra in the front seat, and Kaku in the back with him and Lucci. Lucci was still holding him firmly on his lap and Sabo squirmed uncomfortably. 

“Can I at least sit in the middle?” Sabo whined pitifully. 

“No,” Lucci said blandly, the hand on Sabo’s lower back beginning to run small circles. 

Sabo pouted, folding his arms he glared up at Lucci. 

“What were you doing walking alone in the jungle anyway?” Kaku asked conversationally, trying to break the tension. 

“I-“ Sabo flushed brightly. “I fell out of the car,” Sabo muttered, embarrassed since it was such a clumsy mistake. 

Kaku chuckled into his hand, Jabra seemed to at least try and hide his laughter, Kalifa was stone faced as usual but Lucci seemed more subdued. The concerned look in his eyes putting Sabo on edge. 

“How’d you manage that?” Kaku asked as soon as he was done laughing. 

Sabo frowned down at his lap, squirming a bit more as he picked at his dirty nails nervously. 

“I put down the back and was just kinda talking to myself and my friend shoved me in her sleep,” Sabo admitted. “I hope she doesn’t roll out, the back is still down.” 

“I’m sure she’s fine, you survived didn’t you?” Jabra said, still laughing at him. 

Sabo just shot him a glare but otherwise said nothing else. 

“We are stopping for the night soon, I’ll look over your leg before we all bunk down for the night,” Lucci stated matter of factly. The way he spoke left no room for argument. 

Sabo scowled back at him. “I can take care of myself, I did grow up in a place like this. I would have been fine.” 

“You grew up in a jungle?” Kaku asked before Lucci could start lecturing the boy on taking help when he obviously needed it. 

“Uh, kinda. I grew up in the Mt. Colubo forest, my brothers and I used to fight crocodiles and hunt tigers for fun. I could have handled myself.” Sabo glanced out the window and couldn’t help giving a soft smile at the scenery. He could almost see him and his brother swinging from branches and sparring with each other. 

“So you were a feral child?” Kalifa asked. 

Sabo was a little startled by her inclusion, normally she kept to herself. 

“I guess,” Sabo said with a shrug. He didn’t have anything to hide but it wasn’t like he wanted to tell these people all about himself. 

Lucci furrowed his brows, remembering the burned picture of Sabo holding a woman’s hand. If he grew up in a forest then why did he look a little noble in that picture? And where had his parents gone?

“Where were your parents?” Lucci asked, curious to unravel the mystery in his lap. 

Sabo’s face darkened and his fists clenched. “I don’t have any, those people shouldn’t be allowed to call themselves  _ parents.”  _ Sabo looked away, swathing in anger at the reminder of the people that gave him life. As far as he was concerned his father was nothing more than a sperm donor and his mother a surrogate. 

Lucci shared a glance with Kaku, both surprised about the amount of anger Sabo held for his parents. 

“Alright, do your brothers feel the same about them?” Kaku asked, genuinely curious now. 

Sabo blinked, surprised by the question. “Oh, none of us share the same parents, I guess we could be considered foster brothers.”

Lucci nodded accepting that answer easily. He’d seen a picture of them and could tell that at least Sabo wasn’t related to either of the other boys. Although it was surprising that the two raven haired boys weren’t related by blood. 

Sabo snickered a bit, like he was remembering something hilarious. Kaku and Lucci both raised a brow at him, silently asking him to share. 

“I’m just remembering Gramps, he was our littlest brother, Luffy’s, paternal grandfather and had adopted Ace. He didn’t even question when I randomly showed up, just accepted me as his grandson and included me in his hellish ‘training’,” Sabo giggled. 

“Hellish training?” Jabra asked. 

“Mmhm, he wanted all of us to join the police. He was pretty high ranking and I guess wanted to make some kind of family dynasty. Ace and I were set on being outlaws, and Luffy wanted to be a pirate for reasons I still can’t fathom. Now that I’m traveling all over and Ace is an official outlaw I guess Luffy is all alone dealing with Gramps insisting he join the academy. Poor Lu,” Sabo snickered into his hand again, showing he wasn’t very sorry for his little brother. 

A few of the cars occupants laughed, also seeing the humor in it. 

“What does your brother Ace do?” 

“Oh do you know the Grand Tournament? Over in the Goa area?” Sabo asked. 

“We’ve all heard of it,” Lucci said.

“Well he runs a gang that fights in that, his territory has gotten pretty big. Gramps hates it but I don’t know what he expected since he left us with a criminal he was blackmailing to raise us.” 

“This man is a high ranking police officer?” Jabra asked in a high pitch. It was unthinkable that someone of a high rank would leave children with a criminal while actively blackmailing. 

“What can I say? He is an eccentric guy,” Sabo laughed, smiling fully at the happy memories. 

The conversation died as they got to a widened part of the road, the jungle thinned enough for a group to be able to make camp. Sabo looked around in hope that the RWO group had stopped but no such luck. It seemed once again Hak had gotten into the zone and was driving through the night. 

“Looks like your riding with us the rest of the way,” Jabra said with a hint of mockery. 

Sabo could have sworn he felt a bit of his soul leave his body at that announcement. “The universe hates me,” Sabo sighed long and tired. 

* * *

  
  
  


Lucci refused to let Sabo help set up camp, he was sat in the car like a useless child. Anytime he moved to try and gather firewood or assist anyone Lucci would send him a stern look that made Sabo sit back down. 

After a boring time sitting on the fringes of the group quietly putting together a camp, Lucci finally came to collect him. 

“Come sit by the fire, I’ll give you some first aid,” Lucci said it like Sabo had a choice when in fact he was already scooping the blond up and moving back to the fire. 

“It’s not that bad! I can walk by myself!” Sabo argued. Not only did he not want Lucci carrying him but being carried like a princess was a huge blow to his pride as a man. 

“No, you can’t,” Lucci said calmly, setting Sabo down in one of the chairs they’d set up. “Kalifa, bring me the first aid kit.”

Lucci dragged over another chair and raised Sabo’s leg to place his ankle in his lap. He unapologetically untied Sabo’s shoe and yanked it off. 

Sabo gasped lightly at the quick movement but didn’t try to pull away since he wasn’t a masochist and it really did hurt a lot. 

Lucci poked and prodded at his ankle while they waited for the first aid kit. “It looks like a light sprain, it’s swelled a bit but it’s not as bad as I feared,” Lucci summarized. His hands began pulling up the leg of Sabo’s pants and Sabo made a panicked sound in his throat. 

“Wh-what are you doing?!” Sabo stammered. 

Lucci flicked his gaze up, an almost condescending look in his eyes. “I know your knee is bothering you too, if you’d rather, I could strip you down and do a full inspection.” Lucci raised a brow and gave Sabo a lustful once over. He smirked when he noticed Sabo pale a bit, winking as Sabo gulped in fear. “If you refuse to lift your pants so I can check your injuries, I can always stop being nice about it, remember that.”

Sabo steadied his breathing and sat forward to raise his own pant leg. “Fine,” he sighed, trying to pretend he was in control here. 

Lucci made a pleased hum in his throat before turning his attention to Sabo’s knee. He almost seemed to sigh in relief as he sat back. “It’s not sprained, just sore. You probably jolted it pretty bad when you fell.”

“I do remember landing on it weird,” Sabo commented lightly as Kalifa finally came up to hand Lucci a first aid kit. 

Sabo looked away as Lucci opened it and snapped a cold pack, pressing it against his ankle. Kaku caught his eye and held up a flask in an offering manner. While Sabo didn’t want to owe these people anything, he could also really use a drink. He nodded and Kaku approached. 

“Thanks,” Sabo muttered as he snatched the flask and took three large gulps. 

“Whoa, calm down. Plenty more rum where that came from,” Kaku laughed, taking the flask when Sabo began to cough from the burn of liquor. 

“Not much of a drinker, are you?” Jabra asked as he settled by the fire across from Lucci and Sabo. 

“No,” Sabo confirmed. “Ace could put away a barrel, but me? Not so much,” Sabo mumbled, already feeling his head spinning a little bit. 

“Yeah, we can all see that,” Blueno said as he made his way over as well. 

“I’m nowhere near as bad as my little brother,” Sabo said with a lighthearted smile. Thinking of Luffy always made a smile appear on his face. “He could sniff a beer and be wasted. We let him have a cup of sake when he was little and he got really sick, ever since he’s stayed far away from alcohol.” 

“That seems more than a little planned,” Kumadori spoke up, drawing out his words in an annoying manner. 

Sabo laughed, glancing at Lucci as he removed the cold pack and began to lightly wrap Sabo’s foot and ankle. “It may have been a little planned, but who can blame a big brother when his baby brother is so damn cute? If we didn’t ruin alcohol for him he could have been taken advantage of while drunk! He’s so damn cute and a little dumb, least we could do is make sure he always has his wits about him!” 

“Oh, so you’re both the overprotective brother?” Lucci quirked an eyebrow, finding this information interesting. 

“Ace wasn’t until that bear attacked Luffy but after that we both got a little more protective than we’d already been. And of course all the times people tried to kidnap him, he’s just got such a naturally bright smile and he’s so tiny from his overactive metabolism that people constantly seemed to be stalking him. We had to protect him, I would never have joined RWO if Ace wasn’t around to keep him safe.” Sabo shifted as Lucci got done wrapping his ankle but the man refused to let him go so he settled it for an uncomfortable night with his foot in this man’s lap. 

A few of the men around the fire gave Sabo wide eyed looks but it was Lucci’s comment that floored Sabo. 

“You sure they weren’t after you? From those pictures I saw, you were the adorable one.” 

The comment seemed to stun a few of his colleagues as well, like it was completely out of character for him to compliment anyone. Especially odd for him to call someone adorable. 

“Did you hit your head somewhere?” Sabo asked the man, barely holding himself back to see if he had a fever and was possibly hallucinating. 

Kaku and Jabra began to laugh, whether they were laughing at Sabo or Lucci, that wasn’t clear. Even Kalifa snickered a little. 

“I feel fine, Little Rabbit,” Lucci huffed in a lighthearted tone. 

Conversation died after that, they passed around a rationing of food, surprising Sabo when they gave him one as well. They all ate the simple hobo dinners silently, passing around several flasks of rum as they did. Sabo would be concerned that they were getting drunk in the middle of the jungle where large predators lived but he seemed to be the only one affected by the drink. 

Once they were all done Kaku collected the garbage and dealt with it properly. They all just sat in silence, drinking and staring at the fire. The silence agitated Sabo, he wasn’t used to silence. His RWO teams normally became good friends and had fun together, laughing and chatting during their down time. Then there were his brothers who were both loud mouthed bundles of energy, and their home which was always filled with too many people to count with someone normally yelling. 

Sabo did not like silence. 

“How the hell do you all work with each other?” Sabo said, not noticing the way his words slurred slightly. “As far as I can tell none of you even like each other!” 

“Why would we have to like each other to work together?” Someone Sabo couldn't pinpoint asked. 

“Well you all spend so much time together! I would have thought you at least liked each other!” Sabo slurred, letting his head fall back as he felt the rocking of the world beneath him. Fuck he felt good at that moment. 

“I think I should get you to bed,” Lucci said. 

Sabo lifted his head and giggled. “What’s been up with you, by the way? Why the sudden use of pet names and following me around? I know I’m cute but this seems a little out of left field man!” 

Lucci smirked, leaning forward as he ran his fingers over Sabo’s bare calf. “Oh? You know you're cute? If so, why should I have to explain myself?” 

Sabo pouted at him. “You know you’re mean, sometimes I wish Ace was here.... My big brother would beat you up,” Sabo laughed a little hysterically, hiccuping as he did. 

Stifled laughter filtered in Sabo’s ears but he couldn’t tell who it came from, the world was blurred and spinning. 

“Would he really?” 

“Of course he would, he’d get all up in your face for harassing me! Don’t underestimate my hotheaded protective big brother, he doesn't care who anyone is, he just protect.” Sabo lulled his head to the side to glare half heartedly at Lucci. He honestly didn’t know what he was saying anymore. 

“Yeah, we should get him some water. He cannot handle his liquor,” someone laughed. 

Lucci seemed to nod, or maybe he didn’t, Sabo wasn’t sure. And got up to find a bottle of water, he didn’t pass it over to Sabo. Instead he lifted Sabo back into his arms and gave his team a short nod of goodbye. 

“I’ll be taking the drunkard to bed now, goodnight everyone. Jabra you are first watch, wake Fukurou in five hours.” 

Sabo giggled again, feeling his stomach flip as he was lifted up high. 

“You know, it’s okay to carry me like a princess,” Sabo whispered like he was telling a secret, although he was loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Oh? Why’s that?” Lucci asked as he walked him towards one of the tents. 

“Cause if I was a girl I’d technically be one!” Sabo burst into a fit of giggling, snorting in an adorable manner. 

Lucci took in the new information as he carried Sabo to bed. He’d have to ask about it more when he wasn’t drunk. 

Lucci stooped as he carried Sabo into the tent, gently laying him down on the spare sleeping bag they luckily had. He quietly began to untie Sabo’s other shoe. 

“You're trying to get in my pants aren’t you?” Sabo asked with a drunken smirk, laying an arm over his head. 

“Well I haven’t exactly been subtle about that,” Lucci murmured, getting to work on removing Sabo’s clothes so he wouldn’t be uncomfortable as he slept. 

“If you weren’t such a bastard I’d probably be trying to do the same,” Sabo said, surprising Lucci by the honesty in his eyes. 

“Really?” 

“Mmhm, you’re pretty smoking dude. Like really super duper hot,” Sabo laughed breathlessly. 

“Drink some water, before I really attack you,” Lucci sighed after getting the boy fully undressed.

“Aw, why?” Sabo asked but did take the offered water and drink a few gulps. 

“Because I don’t make a habit of bedding drunk boys,” Lucci laughed. 

“Hey, I’m not a boy, I’m a man! I’m in my 20’s sir!” Sabo argued. 

Lucci laughed as he took the water from Sabo and began to undress himself. Sabo watched as Lucci’s muscles rippled as he unbuttoned his shirt and revealed almost unblemished skin. His eyes widened and he gasped silently as Lucci revealed a large cross shaped scar covering the expanse of his back. 

“What happened?” Sabo asked, sitting up and feeling himself sobering slightly. 

Lucci glanced back at him and seemed to remember the scar suddenly. He shrugged. “It’s no big deal, a certain military group marked their child soldiers this way,” he said. He saw the way Sabo’s eyes widened in horror and tried to downplay the entire ordeal. “It was a long time ago, doesn’t bother me.” 

Sabo furrowed his brows and frowned. No wonder the man was such a cold bastard if he was raised as a child soldier. 

Sabo didn’t say anything for a while so Lucci decided to take a risk. “How’d you get your scars?”

Sabo blinked, surprised by the question. “A house fire, some rich asshole wanted to see our house burn. My parents let him because they were desperate to climb the social ladder.” Sabo looked away. He didn’t like reliving that day. That man’s kid had locked him in a closet, and then everything had gotten hot and Sabo was sure he’d die. 

“Did they know you were in the house?” Lucci asked, a hard edge to his voice. 

Sabo looked at him, really looked at him, the answer clear in his eyes. He said it anyway, “of course they did. They didn’t care, as long as I could help them move up in the world, even if I died.” 

Lucci moved over to him and laid a surprisingly tender hand on his shoulder. He didn’t say anything which Sabo found oddly comforting. Most people said they were sorry or that he didn’t deserve what happened to him, it made it hard for Sabo to deal with the emotions that welled up at the memories. It was strange but Lucci was actually a good person to talk to. 

“World sucks, huh?” Sabo gave a subdued laugh. 

Lucci smiled softly. “That it does.” 

Lucci laid down on the sleeping bag, turning off the small electric lantern. “Get some rest, little drunk.” 

“I’m not drunk,” Sabo pouted, lying down as well. “I’m buzzed, there is a difference.” 

“Sleep now,” Lucci laughed at him. Sabo rolled his eyes before he laid down to rest. 

* * *

  
  
  


Sabo shot awake with fire and terror still coiling around his mind. His breath evened as the chill of night air hit him and the smell of smoke didn’t immediately assault him. 

“Get some rest Jabra,” he heard the voice from outside the tent and his nerves calmed even more. He was in the jungle, with the CP9 mercenaries, and sharing a tent with one Rob Lucci. 

Sabo hesitantly glanced over, trying to make sure he wasn’t having a terrible continuous nightmare but no, he was in real life and was in fact sleeping next to Lucci. Sabo was just glad they were in seperate sleeping bags, he was a cuddler by nature and the bags at least prevented that. 

“Stupid nightmares,” Sabo whispered, letting his head fall into his unscared hand as he brought up the other to inspect. The patch work of skin grafts were unchanged on his arm, still ugly and mangled. The wrinkled skin had a slight pink tint to it and when he flexed his hand there was a permanent stiffness to it. 

Everytime he looked at the scarring he thought about how the flames covered the door, roaring at him as he cried in fear and frustration. How he’d had to desperately use his arm as a battering ram in order to get out. If Dogra hadn’t seen the fire, if he hadn’t come to help him, if Dadan and Garp hadn’t paid for his medical bills and used the incident to get him away from that horror show.... he’d be dead by now. 

Sabo stared banfully at the scarring, it was the only gift his parents ever gave him, and then he particularly leaped in fright when another hand took his. Sabo snapped his head up to see Lucci staring at him intently, pulling Sabo’s hand over to him. 

“Your scars,” he started, voice low and almost gentle. He tugged Sabo’s hand up to his lips, kissing the knuckles. “Are beautiful.” 

Sabo sucked in a breath, something warm flowing into his gut at the honesty in this man’s tone. So many people had told Sabo he was still handsome  _ despite _ the scars. No one but his brothers had ever complimented them before. It wasn’t even the first time Lucci had complimented them, but somehow it was more meaningful this time. 

Sabo opened his mouth to ask if he really meant that but something about the way Lucci looked at him stopped Sabo. Lucci looked at him so openly, seeing his scars and all. Sabo gulped, blushed, and looked away, he already knew Lucci wasn’t one to say anything he didn’t mean, he didn’t need to ask if he’d meant those words. 

“Sabo,” Lucci said, kissing his knuckles again and Sabo felt the word like a caress. He didn’t think Lucci had ever said his name before, let alone said it like  _ that.  _

Sabo looked back over to Lucci, half expecting to be pulled into a kiss. But Lucci seemed to be waiting, like he wanted Sabo to make the first move. 

Never before had Sabo felt more like he was walking into a hunter's snare but at that moment he didn’t fucking care. 

Sabo reached out with his free hand and grasped Lucci by the shoulder and yanked him closer. Moving to his knees to press their lips together. 

Lucci didn’t hold back for a moment longer, his hand wrapped around Sabo’s back and bent him over until he was on his back with Lucci poised above him. 

It didn’t matter in that moment that Lucci was a no morals bastard mercenary that did anything for money, it didn’t matter that 90% of the time they were on opposing sides. All that mattered in that moment was the fact that they were attracted to each other and Sabo just wanted someone to love  _ all  _ of him, scars and everything. 

Lucci gently bit Sabo’s lower lip, rolling the appendage between his teeth to silently ask for entrance. 

Sabo readily complied, opening his mouth and sucking on Lucci’s tongue. Sabo let his arms wrap around Lucci’s neck, arching into him as his hand wandered down Sabo’s side. Their hard-ons ground together and Sabo gasped into Lucci’s lips as he licked up the roof of Sabo’s mouth. 

Lucci pulled back to look down at Sabo, he pushed back his bangs to look over the pink scar over his eye. Sabo stared up at him, trying to see what he was thinking. He was an impossible man to read and if he suddenly rejected him, Sabo was sure he’d break. 

“Beautiful,” Lucci whispered, kissing the corner of his eye sweetly. “You wear the proof you are stronger than this world better than any king wears a crown.” 

Sabo felt a tear slip down his cheek, grasping onto Lucci tighter, keeping him as close as possible. 

Lucci smiled into the boy's blonde hair, kissing the side of his head. He hadn’t liked the sight he’d woken up to, Sabo looking at his scarred hand like it was a curse, he  _ needed _ Sabo to understand how ethereal Lucci found him. He’d kiss every inch of Sabo’s scars, whispering ‘beautiful’ over and over, if he needed too. 

He moved to Sabo’s thin neck, kissing, licking, and loving every bit of mashed together skin and scar. Sabo gasped and preened under him, seemingly loving the attention. 

“You seem very touch starved,” Lucci chuckled as he pulled back to tug at Sabo’s boxers. 

“I am,” Sabo breathed unashamed, adding his hands to aid in the effort of getting him completely naked. 

“Well let me fix that,” Lucci grinned as he finally got the boys boxers off and tossed them to the side. Placing a hand on Sabo’s cheek he pulled him closer to taste his sweet lips once again. 

Sabo willingly opened his mouth, falling into Lucci’s embrace as he lifted him to sit with his knees on either side of Lucci’s lap. 

“I apologize that I don’t have any lube, we’ll have to make due,” Lucci whispered apologetically as he moved to mark up the unscarred side of his neck. 

“Lucci, I’m an openly gay man from a city with more gay bars than nightclubs. I can make due just fine,” Sabo breathlessly laughed. 

Lucci smirked, pulling away to tip Sabo’s chin up, tucking some hair behind his ear. “That so? Seems you’re more of a wild cat than a rabbit tonight.” 

Sabo rolled his eyes. “I’m so over that nickname,” Sabo teasingly muttered. 

“I’ll stop calling you that when you stop being a skittish Little Rabbit,” Lucci challenged back. 

Sabo raised a brow and unwrapped an arm from around Lucci’s neck, placing two fingers against his lips. “Get these nice and wet for me?” 

Lucci laughed, taking Sabo’s hand by the wrist and licking up the two fingers. “As you wish,” he growled, sucking the fingers into his mouth. Sabo gasped in delight as he felt Lucci work his tongue around his fingers, swirling and licking between them. 

“Good boy,” Sabo grinned snarkily up at Lucci, making the man raise a manicured eyebrow humorously. Sabo pulled his fingers from Lucci's lips and reached back to begin preparing himself. 

Sabo felt himself shudder in anticipation as his two fingers fit in easily. Lucci wasn’t content to sit back quietly either, he raked his fingernails down Sabo’s sides, one hand grasping his hip and the other continuing down to wrap around his leaking cock, all while biting and sucking on his neck. 

“God Lucci,” Sabo keened, arching into the touch as Lucci stroked him blindly yet expertly. 

“You’re so fucking sexy,” Lucci growled, pulling him closer and stroked him faster. 

Sabo pumped his fingers in time with Lucci’s hand, feeling himself begin to shake. One handedly he clutched Lucci's shoulder, digging his nails in his skin as he got close. 

“Ah!” Sabo groaned as he shuddered again, his chest heaved as a damn broke inside him and he came for the first time since in a long while. 

Lucci gathered the thick white cum in his hand, grinning up at his adorable little bedmate for the night. 

“Are you prepared enough?” Lucci asked. 

Sabo caught his breath and looked up at Lucci with a determined glint in his eyes. No way was he letting Lucci take the upper hand. 

“Of course, I’m not some blushing, bumbling virgin,” Sabo stated definitely. 

“Good, I didn’t expect to find one,” Lucci huskily growled back. He pushed Sabo down on the sleeping mats and removed his own underwear one handed. He grinned down at Sabo, slicking his aching dick up with Sabo’s cum as he devoured Sabo’s gorgeous form with his eyes. 

“God, how did I ever resist you?” Lucci asked rhetorically. 

Sabo huffed, preparing himself to take control the moment he found the opportunity. 

Lucci positioned himself between Sabo spread legs and lined himself up, folding over the blond, intending to take yet another kiss from him. In a quick movement Sabo grabbed the man by his shoulder and rolled them over so Lucci was on his back instead. 

Sabo smirked down at Lucci’s surprised face, lowering himself down on the man’s shaft. 

“Did you really think I was going to tell you have control?” He moaned as his large member filled him completely. Sabo twitched in pleasure as Lucci bottomed out, he felt so blissfully full. 

Lucci growled in his throat, not about to let his prey turn on him. He launched up, grabbing Sabo by the hips as he attacked his mouth. 

The kiss was all tongue and teeth in Lucci dominating enthusiasm, he bit and licked at Sabo’s abused mouth. Sabo squeaked in his throat before kissing the man back with the same fever. 

Lucci ground his hips up into Sabo’s, grinning as he swallowed the blondes moan between their kisses. 

So fierce was Lucci's attack that Sabo didn’t notice the table had been turned on him until his back hit the ground. Lucci didn’t allow Sabo time to react, he began to thrust. 

Sabo latched onto his shoulders, gasping at the sheer power plowing into him. 

“Bastard!” Sabo breathed, clawing into his shoulder from the pleasure swarming his mind. 

“At the end of the day you’ll always be  _ my Little Rabbit,” _ Lucci whispered, giving him a surprisingly gentle kiss that didn’t match the way his hips snapped into Sabo’s. 

Sabo wanted to respond with something witty and cutting, he really did, but Lucci had found his prostate and all Sabo managed to say was, “AH! Oh! So good.... ah! Oh, go fuck yourself!”

Lucci laughed breathlessly before diving down to bite Sabo’s neck. 

Sabo clawed Lucci back as the pleasure built and finally broke, he screamed, then moaned as a pitiful amount of cum dribbled down onto his stomach. 

Lucci gave three short thrusts, speeding up to a bruising degree before he roared into Sabo’s neck. Heat pooled inside Sabo as they both panted, collapsing into a sweaty heap. 

Sabo caught his breath and immediately laughed when a thought came to mind. “Well now I’m definitely not walking tomorrow.” 

Lucci belted out a surprised laugh and for a moment they both just gasped and cackled. Their eyes caught and something warm and fuzzy filled Sabo’s chest at the look in Lucci’s dark eyes. 

“Round two?” Lucci asked with a smirk. 

“Hell yeah!” Sabo smirked back.   
  


* * *

  
  
  


Sabo kept his head in his hands as the CP9 group all looked at Lucci and him with shit eating grins and raised eyebrows. 

Apparently over the last two nights they had not been fooled at all. Sabo wasn’t exactly surprised since neither him nor Lucci could be called quiet. Sabo just preferred them all when they pretended to not have noticed the new relationship.  _ Was this a relationship? No, right?  _

Whatever had happened between him and Lucci during this journey was just a temporary thing, then they’d go back to whatever they’d been doing before. 

Somehow that made Sabo a little sad, even if Lucci had no morals, Sabo thought maybe they could get past that as long as Lucci was acting like a human the bare minimum of the time. 

Sabo groaned again as they all snickered. 

“So are you two going to be all lovey dovey now?” Kaku asked jokingly from the front seat. 

“No!” Sabo growled. 

“Yes,” Lucci spoke at the same time as he placed his arm behind Sabo in the back seat. 

Both men looked at each other in surprise. 

Kaku raised a brow at them and got the message to back off before he said something stupid. 

“What do you mean yes?” Sabo asked the man, shoving his arm away. 

“What do you mean no?” Lucci asked back. “Don’t you want to do this again?” 

“Why would I?” Sabo raised his brows at the man. “Why would you?! We basically know nothing about each other and we have diametrically opposing views and morals. We’re not a good fit, this was fun but why would we continue this?” Sabo knew he was talking to himself as well but it should be obvious that they just didn’t work! 

Lucci actually seemed hurt for a fraction of a second before his face blanked. “That’s valid but we haven’t even tried yet. It would be work but it would be worth it. I’m not afraid of working for what I want, are you?” 

Sabo rubbed his temples and sighed. “Lucci, this,” Sabo said as he gestured between them. “Is more than work, let’s not forget that you threatened to actually kidnap me a few months ago.” Sabo looked around to see Jabra, Kaku, and Kalifa were all glancing over and listening intently. “Look, let’s talk about this later.” 

“Fine, but we will talk about this,” Lucci hissed. 

* * *

  
  
  


Sabo escaped the Jeep as soon as they rolled into the village. The environment had become stifling and awkward after his and Lucci’s micro fight. 

All he wanted was to find Koala, give her a punch, and then talk out his feelings with her before he had to face Lucci again. 

He was already limping off when he passed Fukurou and he was stopped as the man began to talk at him. 

“We were all surprised, chapapa!” He started. “Lucci’s never described someone as adorable before! And he hasn’t ever been so concerned about anyone before either, chapapa.” 

Sabo gulped, feeling that fuzzy feeling in his chest yet again. “Really?” 

“Yup, chapapa!” Fukurou proclaimed. “We were all sure he just wanted to get in your pants but now we think he actually wants to try for you. He’s never given up a mission for someone before either but he did for you, chapapa!” 

Sabo’s eyes widened as he remembered that Lucci had done that. He’d knowingly let Sabo distract him the last time they’d met. 

“Excuse me,” Sabo whispered as he tried to hide his blush, limping past the man. 

Did he and Lucci actually have a shot? Could they really make this work somehow? 

“Sabo!” Koala dame sprinting at him as she noticed him. She looked frantic, probably because he’d gone missing from the car in the middle of the jungle. 

“Koala! You shoved me out of the car you asshole!” Sabo said with mocking anger to show he wasn’t that upset at her. 

“That isn’t important! You’ve got an emergency!” She ran over and shoved their satélite phone into his hands. The phone was normally untouched as it was for emergencies only. 

“Sabo has an emergency?” Lucci came up from behind, concern in his voice. 

Koala ignored him as she looked at Sabo with big sad eyes. “Your family called our head office, and th-they..... Sabo take the call.” 

Sabo’s eyes widened further and he felt tears well up in his eyes as all the horrible possibilities came crashing down on him at once. 

Sabo pressed the phone to his ear and he felt as if the world had stopped turning and the universe had gone dark, desolate, and cold. He listened to the related message with progressively weakening knees. 

Sabo couldn't breath, this couldn’t be happening. 

Once he pulled away from the phone and numbly handed it back to Koala he collapsed. 

Tears rolled down his cheeks and he screamed until his throat was raw. 

Lucci startled as Sabo fell into himself and began to scream. He didn’t know what to do, the girl immediately wrapped him into a hug and seemed to understand what was happening but Lucci had no idea what exactly was happening. 

“Sabo?” Lucci asked as his own team began to gather around curiously to see what was going on. 

“My brother....” Sabo cried into his knees and all of CP9 understood instantly. Sabo has talked of his brothers in such a fond way that this reaction could only be because something happened to his brothers. 

“Is he?” Lucci began to ask before Sabo suddenly looked up at him in rage. 

“My brother is in a coma! My big brother has been in a coma for two years while I’ve been gallivanting around the world!” Sabo screamed. 

Koala breathed out in relief suddenly. “Oh god, they mentioned a death in the first call, I’m so glad he’s aliv-“

“KOALA!” Sabo snapped. “Shut up! My grandpa is fucking dead! My foster mother is in prison, my brother has been in a coma, and I’m only finding out now!” Sabo yanked away from her and stumbled up. 

He wavered weakly and he was still sobbing with each word. 

“Sabo,” Koala whispered, stepping closer to him. “How? It was only two years, what happened?”

Sabo roughly rubbed against his eyes and hiccuped, his hand clutching at his chest like he could physically grab the breath that refused to fill his lungs. 

“A-Ace was hit by a misfired bullet in a raid,” Sabo sobbed. “Gramps ha-had a heart attack a-a-at the news and Dadan... sh-she attacked the police officer responsible,” Sabo wailed, almost falling to his knees again. “.... and m-my baby brother, my Luffy....” 

Koala’s eyes widened and she leaped forward, knowing that if anything was wrong with Luffy Sabo might actually break. She hugged him to her chest and he clutched at her as he weeped. 

Lucci gulped as he tried to think of what he could possibly do. His Sabo was hurting and he didn’t like it but this was not his area of expertise. 

“What’s wrong with your little brother?” Lucci found himself asking, finding himself actually caring simply because he wanted Sabo’s smile to return. 

Sabo hiccuped again as he pushed away. 

“I have to go home now,” Sabo said instead of answering Lucci. 

“What?” Lucci asked. He didn’t have a family, he didn’t understand why this meant Sabo had to go. 

“I have to go home!” Sabo yelled, becoming angry yet again. “What ever you fucking wanted from me is over! I’m going home! No one is protecting Luffy and he’s been fending for himself for two  _ fucking _ years!” 

“He’s nineteen! You don’t have to protect him Sabo!” Lucci growled at him. 

Sabo glared at the man, every positive thing he might have thought about Lucci suddenly flying out the window. Sabo turned to Koala and spoke to her, pointedly ignoring Lucci. “Can I take a car? I need to get going as soon as possible.”

“Of course, we’ve already gotten you a ticket on the nearest flight home, it should be waiting for you like always.” Koala rubbed his back. “Sabo, what's wrong with Luffy?” She asked, wanting to know why it was so important he get back as soon as possible. 

Sabo shook his head and sniffled. “Not only is he drowning in medical debt from Ace, but a member of the  _ god damn _ Donquixote gang has set his sights on Luffy. Makino finally broke and called me because the man has basically kidnapped my brother!” 

Koala gasped, her fist clenching in anger as she cursed. 

Lucci cursed as well, feeling like he’d broken something still incredibly fragile that had been building between him and Sabo. 

Sabo collected his things and only spared Lucci one scornful look as he limped passed to one of the RWO cars, someone was already in it, ready to drive off the moment he got in. 

“Wait Sabo!” Lucci called, something inside him screaming at him to say he was going with. That he was also abandoning his mission but before he could get the words out Sabo slammed the car door and it sped away. 

Lucci was left grasping at thin air, seeing the only prey he’d ever actually cared for slip away from him. 

“Lucci?” Kaku asked, surprise and concern in his voice. 

Lucci blinked and looked at the man, feeling as if the world had tilted on its axis so suddenly. 

He looked around at the desolate little jungle village, took in the RWO workers, and his own team and realized he didn’t even know why he did this for a living. The thrill of it all had waned years ago. He didn’t need the money anymore, he didn’t have to do this. 

“Kaku, I quit,” Lucci told him. Most of the team didn’t seem surprised. 

“Finally found a hunt to live for, huh?” Kaku asked after a silent moment. 

“That’s right,” Lucci looked back to where Sabo had disappeared from sight. 

“Well, go get your prey then,” Kaku laughed as he tossed him the keys to one of the Jeeps. “I’ll give your regards to Spandam.” 

Lucci took the keys and nodded his thanks to his team before he ran off. 

_ He was going after Sabo!  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sabo and Lucci will have more interaction in sunshine smile! No one worry!!


End file.
